Page 41 of Home Ice

"Smooth and surprise," I tell him. "Keep all your movements smooth and keep your release a surprise. If you anticipate the release, your fingers shake. So don't. Just aim and then let it happen."

"Who the hell are you?"

I imitate his earlier shrug. "I'm just a girl who can hit a moving target from one hundred yards away."

"I'll remember that in case I ever piss you off. Now run. Go win this for us, while I do my best to not lose it."

"Just never piss me off. Remember, surprise." I mimic releasing a bowstring before I sprint to the next station.

By the end of the second lap, I'm a perfect eight for eight on the targets. Brant doesn't finish far behind me. I high five him as he hits the last target, despite the sweat running into his eyes. Sweat that I am so very tempted to wipe away for him.

"Missed three," he says between gasps.

"That's good."

He bends over with his hands on his knees and lets his head hang. "That's a thirty second penalty."

"Brant." I pause, forcing him to look up. When he does, I point to the others. "Look at them. Five out of eight is wonderful." Milo is standing in the shooting area closest to us with his hands on his head after his arrow bounced in the grass barely halfway to the target. On the other side of the track, Sammy slams his bow down after he misses his shot.

He turns back to me and smiles. "We do make a good team."

I want to look away for self-preservation, but I can't. There's something about his look that always draws mine. It's a hole I fall into every time. "We make a great team." Even if he doesn't see it. "Let's finish annihilating these losers."

"Fuck yeah." He slaps me on the back and we jog to the field on the other side of the parking lot.

The last challenge is an obstacle course, just like I knew it had to be, but it's not what I expected. I wouldn't be surprised if a group of Navy Seals is waiting to use it once we’re finished. There are all kinds of ropes and tires and a wall that looks impossibly high, and none of it was here when we drove up. Do they have an entire hidden production crew that does this?

"Morrison. Richards." Coach walks up to us. "I hear you been eating the challenges like they're cake. You think you can eat my cake?"

I glance over at Brant, but he looks as confused as I am.

"Well, what are you standing there for?" Coach blows his whistle three times. I hurry to cover my ears, but I'm not quick enough. He's ten feet away. A full whistle blast hurts at that distance. Why does he even have a whistle today anyway? "Get a move on!" He makes a show of starting his stopwatch and then gives one more whistle, just because he can.

Brant and I look at each other one more time before we dash to the first obstacle. A cargo net hung just above the ground. It's longer than my dad's living room, and we have to crawl under it. I drop to my belly and see Brant do the same. When we make it to the other side, I do a quick scan of the field. We're still the only team here. Since we're all timed individually, that doesn't mean we're winning, but it's certainly a good sign.

Next up is a tire run. I've seen this countless times before. We're supposed to run through it, stepping into each tire. The athletes I've worked with over the years make it look easy, but I've never tried it. Turns out, it's not easy. Brant goes first. He takes a slower pace, but he doesn't miss a single tire. When he gets to the other side, he turns back to me. "You got this. Go slow." I stare at the first opening, planning my route, which is obviously unnecessary because my route is a straight line and will go right, left, right left. Finally, I just go for it. I make sure to pick my feet high off the ground. That's the point of the exercise, after all. My first three steps are almost perfect. I land in the center of the tire with each. But then I hear another team run up to the field, and I make the mistake of turning to see them. It's Kayden and his partner. Shit.

I tell myself to move faster, still keeping my knees high, but on the fifth step, I snag the edge of the tire. I catch myself, but it throws me off. My next step misses almost completely, and my ankle rolls. It's not bad, but it sends me tumbling. Despite being rubber, tires do not make for a very soft landing.

"Lily!" Brant is at my side before I even realize what's happened. "Are you okay?"

I move my foot in a quick circle and then look back at Kayden. They're starting to go under the net. We only have a few seconds before they catch us. I have no idea how many time penalties they have from the archery biathlon, but I'm not taking a chance. "Fine." I push myself up, hiding my wince as I put pressure on my ankle, and finish the tires.

The next section is ten small stepping stones spaced far enough that we can't step from one to the next. Coach is beside us now, explaining that there's a ten second penalty for every foot that touches the grass between the stones. I guess that means we're jumping them.

"What if I carry her?" Brant asks Coach. "She's hurt, so what if she hangs on to my shoulders while I jump the stones? She wouldn't touch the grass."

"Thirty second penalty for every stone she misses. What do you think, Richards? Can you do it?"

"No," Brant answers at the same time I say "yes."

I glare at him. "I can do this." I have to. Michael won't admit it, but I know Bridges needs this money. I won't be the reason they don't get it. Just like I won't be the reason Brant loses the Charity Bee this year. "I'm doing it."

He looks like he wants to argue, but he wisely keeps his mouth shut and steps aside for me to go first.

This shouldn't be hard. My right ankle is starting to throb, but that still leaves me with one perfectly fine leg. That's all I need. Jump from my left. Land on my left. Easy. And just to prove how easy it is, my body chooses to land on my right foot on the very first freaking stone. I only make it five feet into this obstacle before I collapse to the ground with an embarrassingly loud yelp.

CHAPTER 30

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